HALLOWEEN MASKS - making your own

Halloween is a time for extremes. Blood and guts are encouraged - so is scaring your friends. Doing your own special effects make-up or creating your own scary mask can be a great experience if you are willing to take the time and learn how to do it. We found the site MonsterMakers and thought it was pretty great in terms of products and how-to instruction.

There are many vendors of fx where you can buy items such as foam latex, latex, fake teeth, special effects contact lenses, spirit gum and every other thing you might need to make your face look like it went through a meat grinder. There are also any number of books, videos or dvds to help you learn how to be the next Stan Winston or Tom Savini (see sidebar). Local colleges or art schools sometimes offer classes as well.

HALLOWEEN MASKS - buying the right one

If creativity isn't your bag but gore and horror is, consider buying a mask that some other creepy soul already made. Not only are they easy, instant Halloween costumes, but no one knows who you are under that fake wig and gnarly teeth. Of course, we aren't encouraging you to behave badly on Halloween, but it might be the one time of year when you can be forgiven the next morning.